Vermouth

Vermouth

An essential part of your Negroni, vermouth can – and should – be drunk on its own. Esquire recommends Antica Formula, a sweet-red variety served chilled as an aperitivo. Custom vermouths, infused with fruits and spices, are also emerging. Even Simpson’s-in-the-Strand, a bastion of London traditionalism, has started offering a bespoke spiced-apple version. Sweet.
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Essential because:
It was originally a medicine; it’s still good for what ails you.Extra Dry vermouth, by Martini, £8.53 for 750ml, masterofmalt.com

Galaxy Alpha, by Samsung

Galaxy Alpha, by Samsung

The mobile wars’ latest offensive sees Samsung deploy its first metal-framed mobile. Its spec might be an uptweak of the Galaxy S5, but this is a truly luxurious, fast, powerful beast launched the same day as iPhone 6, as a direct competitor. Few phones can match its 12mp camera.
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Essential because:
At just 6.7mm thick, it’s even thinner than Apple’s new offering.About £500 SIM free, samsung.com

Vermouth

An essential part of your Negroni, vermouth can – and should – be drunk on its own. Esquire recommends Antica Formula, a sweet-red variety served chilled as an aperitivo. Custom vermouths, infused with fruits and spices, are also emerging. Even Simpson’s-in-the-Strand, a bastion of London traditionalism, has started offering a bespoke spiced-apple version. Sweet.
—
Essential because:
It was originally a medicine; it’s still good for what ails you.Extra Dry vermouth, by Martini, £8.53 for 750ml, masterofmalt.com

Galaxy Alpha, by Samsung

The mobile wars’ latest offensive sees Samsung deploy its first metal-framed mobile. Its spec might be an uptweak of the Galaxy S5, but this is a truly luxurious, fast, powerful beast launched the same day as iPhone 6, as a direct competitor. Few phones can match its 12mp camera.
—
Essential because:
At just 6.7mm thick, it’s even thinner than Apple’s new offering.About £500 SIM free, samsung.com

John Peel's Record Boxes

When John Peel died 10 years ago, he didn’t just leave a gaping hole in the our cultural landscape, he left a more prosaic problem. What on Earth to do with the most celebrated record collection in Britain? One comprising 26,000 albums, 80,000 singles and countless CDs. Now, six music names have been given unprecedented access to that haul, to curate a series of online “record boxes”. The first box is curated by Joe Boyd, the producer who discovered Pink Floyd and produced Nick Drake. Five more will be compiled and released over the next year.
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Essential because:
It’s as close you’ll come to Peel Acres itself.johnpeelarchive.com

What We Wore: A People's History of British Style by Nina Manandhar (Prestel)

Youth culture has undergone more costume changes since the Fifties than Beyoncé on a world tour. This is an attempt to address our nation’s fast-evolving trends in the form of a “visual timeline” (ie, a bunch of street-style photos), taking in subcultures from mods to hipsters, goths to punks. Adopting a crowdsourced approach, the author has pulled in amateur snaps plus entries from MIA, Tracey Emin and Don Letts, with anecdotes included.
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Essential because:
This is a useful tool to upgrade your look today: there’s a rich mine of buried style gold waiting to be unearthed by flicking through its pages.£22.50, randomhouse.de

Pro 6500, by Oral-B

Now get white teeth with Bluetooth. This electric toothbrush links with an app to tell you if you’re brushing right and which areas of your mouth need the most attention. Research says only one-in-four Brits clean their teeth correctly, so the 75 per cent of you saying “I don’t need this” are wrong.
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Essential because:
You can say, “No fillings today, mum.”£250, oralb.co.uk

A luxury beanie

Famed for its fine fedoras and brilliant bowlers, Mayfair hatter Lock & Co has been making headwear for the great and the good since 1676. For A/W ’14, the runways were awash with luxurious “burglar beanies”. Embrace the trend yourself – worn low and tight, not high and gangsta like Dappy – with Lock & Co’s impeccable ribbed cashmere number.
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Essential because:
The brand once clad clients including Winston Churchill, Horatio Nelson and Prince Charles. In other words, you know your head’s in safe hands.£89, lockhatters.co.uk

Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare PS4/4; Xbox One/One

Should the latest installment in the Call of Duty franchise be believed, the future looks bright – if you’re the head of a private military contractor with an interest in global unrest, that is. Enter Kevin Spacey, who plays the CEO of the Atlas Corporation. Set in 2054, Advanced Warfare features new toys such as Iron Man-like powered exoskeletons; wall-climbing equipment Spider-Man would be proud of, hover bikes and cloaking aircraft.
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Essential because:
It’s set to be 2014’s number one first-person shooter.Out 4 November, callofduty.com

A posh toastie

No longer just a trashy hangover cure, the trusty toastie is on the up. William Oglethorpe of the Kappacasein dairy in London’s Borough Market is leading the pack with his three-cheese creation, which is amazingly golden and crispy with a bite of leek and onion. He gets through 110kg of cheese each week and queues go around the block. “The quality of the ingredients can’t hide themselves,” Oglethorpe says. “So the better they are, the better the sandwich.” He uses cheese from the Montgomery herd of Jersey cows (among others) and fancy Poilâne bread from Paris. For more upper crust toastie options in the capital, try Morty & Bob’s at Hackney’s Netil Market, the nearby Towpath Café (served with a side of quince jam) or restaurant-in-the-sky Duck & Waffle (which adds slow-cooked ox cheek). Indian chain Dishoom, in Shoreditch and Covent Garden, also does a mean chilli-cheese toast.
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Essential because:
It’s a gourmet guilty pleasure.kappacasein.com; mortyandbobs.com; duckandwaffle.com; dishoom.com

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